POND LOCATION
The more sun a location gets the more your water plant flowers will bloom but also more ALGAE. Less sun makes more leaves. An area that gets partial sun and shade is ideal.
Now adays with the use of POND SKIMMERS, If you have adequate circulation it will clean the waters surface into a net before leaves and needles have a
chance to sink to the bottom making tree locations more practical than ever before although roots can be a concern. If a water
garden is to be built directly over roots a POND LINER is the obvious choice.
With ARTIFICIAL ROCK a pond can be raised above ground level and still look natural by creating a mountainous style. Waterfalls of any size
can be built on flat lot's. 360 deg. views can be achieved with Asian style islands. Formal pools look nice with columnar
basalt fountains. Natural looking rock patios can overhang the pools edge creating a koi fish hangout.
The possibilities are endless!
POND MATERIALS
A POND LINER is supposed to last about 20 years, if all goes well, so if your thinking of having a 12 ton water feature
built on top of your garden pool, you will probably want the pond made of concrete. With todays available supplies
a properly built concrete pond will last for generations and in the event of dammage it can be effectivley repaiered. Having
said that, Pond liners do have their place. Over tree roots, in less permanent designs or long skinny runs such as a garden
stream. Artificial rock can be built over a pond liner but I recommend one that could be removed so the liner could be
replaced if needed.
HOW BIG OF A WATER FEATURE?
Generaly a larger volume of water is easier to reach the proper eco-balance and so easier
to maintain.
If you plan on keeping fish, the depth needs to be about a foot below the ice thickness
in your area unless you use a de-icer.
The pond will shrink a lot in appearance when you start loading it up with water plants so keep this in mind when laying out your water garden.
WATERFALLS (Photo B)
waterfalls are a great way to circulate a ponds water and I would consider it a must for Koi ponds. A bio
filter can be hidden in a waterfall and falling water is an excellent way to pump oxygen into the water. Not to mention the
sights and sounds which are not only pleasing to us but also the creatures it attracts.
POND PUMPS
The POND PUMP can be a large initial investment, however the newer designs cost very little to operate and are built for constant
operation.
Unless you have a very large water feature I recommend a submersible pump that can be hidden
in a POND SKIMMER. It's quiet and easy to install.
While the newer pump hoses are convienient for their flexibility, they are also quite expensive.
The nice thing is, standard PVC fittings can be glued right to them so you can use a section of the flexible stuff near the
pond pump where you need it to bend then switch over to the less expensive PVC for the rest of the run.
POND FILTERS
Mechanical Filters~ basically some sort of a strainer.
Bio-Filters~ A container with some sort of medium (lava rock works well) for beneficial bacteria to grow
in. The bacteria feeds on ammonia and converts it into nitrates used by plants and fish. A bio-filter takes
time to begin working properly and if the pond pump is shut off for even 5 or 6 hours the bacteria can die and the system
will have to start over again from scratch.
UV ULTRA VIOLET POND FILTERS ~ Water is pumped through an ultra violet light which kills free floating algae. The wattage of the bulb and
the flow of water are balanced with the gallons of water in the pond and so usually a slower pump than the
waterfall needs is required meaning a secondary pond pump to opperate the UV filter.
A skimmer sucks the water from the surface of the pool and catches the junk before it sinks to the
bottom in a easily cleaned basket or net and also keeps the water temperature a bit cooler which is good for algae control.
Water plants add color, texture and fragrance to your water garden. They shade out algae, cool the water,
provide oxygen and create hide-out's for koi & gold fish.
FISH & OTHER POND CRITTERS
Fish are more easily kept than people might think and they have many benefits. They add
life color and movement to your garden and nutrients to your plants. They make excellent pets (photo E) and they eat MOSQUITO LARVAE that might have otherwise been hatched out in a tire or puddle.
Racoons can be kept from eating your fish simply by making it to deep for them to wade in.
Eagles (photo F) have to be able to have a large clear swath to swoop through before you need to worry
about them. Blue heron damage can be minimized by overhangs or caves for the koi fish or gold fish to hide in or under.
Turtles can be trained to eat out of your hand and can be kept in the pond area with the
surrounding rock design.
POND MAINTENANCE
Blanket ALGAE is the biggest job. It is beneficial on the side and bottom of the pond but will need to be manually removed from waterfalls,
streams and pond SKIMMERS before it changes the water flow. If you don’t have to worry about children, Making the pond deep with vertical
sides will make the algae much less of a nuisance. But don’t forget to build in water plant shelves.
Some people occasionally add fertilizer tablets to their water plants which is a good way to
fertilize the roots of the water plant without fertilizing the algae in the pond. Snipping out dead leaves and flowers and
thinning plants will keep your pond looking it's best.
By Aaron Jones (c)
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